Apollo 11 Anniversary

In July 1969, The Coca-Cola Export Corporation co-sponsored the first truly international telecast – the landing on the moon. The Company was involved in the Apollo XI Moon Shot telecast via satellite in major markets in Latin America and Southeast Asia. Nine countries in Latin America took part in this historic broadcast.

In announcing the sponsorship, a Company statement said: “It is with true pride and a sense of pioneering spirit that we can announce that The Coca-Cola Export Corporation is commercially co-sponsoring the telecast of the Apollo XI Moon Shot -- from take-off July 16 through moon landing July 20, to splash-down July 24 – on behalf of the product Coca-Cola.”

The Apollo XI Moon Shot was truly a "first." It was the culmination of humankind's dream since its earliest stages of existence. It was, at the time, seen as fiction turned to fact. It was a "first" by the very nature of its being, and, in turn, it was a "first" for television, sharing such an occurrence around the world.

It also was a very important "first" for Coca-Cola: It was the first product of its kind ever advertised on international television.

On July 20, 1969 -- the day Neil Armstrong and Colonel Edwin Aldrin stepped on to the moon – full newspaper ads in Chile contained a quotation for a German poet, Schiller: “Nada hay tan alto donde el hombre esforzado no pueda apoyar su escala” ["Nothing is so high that the man of determination cannot put his ladder against it!"].

The only other copy in the ad was: "A Message from the Authorized Bottlers of Coca-Cola.”

The Coca-Cola Company (NYSE: KO) is the world’s largest beverage company, offering over 500 brands to people in more than 200 countries. Of our 21 billion-dollar brands, 19 are available in lower- or no-sugar options to help people moderate their consumption of added sugar. In addition to our namesake Coca-Cola drinks, some of our leading brands around the world include: AdeS soy-based beverages, Ayataka green tea, Dasani waters, Del Valle juices and nectars, Fanta, Georgia coffee, Gold Peak teas and coffees, Honest Tea, Minute Maid juices, Powerade sports drinks, Simply juices, smartwater, Sprite, vitaminwater, and Zico coconut water. At Coca-Cola, we’re serious about making positive contributions to the world. That starts with reducing sugar in our drinks and continuing to introduce new ones with added benefits. It also means continuously working to reduce our environmental impact, creating rewarding careers for our associates and bringing economic opportunity wherever we operate. Together with our bottling partners, we employ more than 700,000 people around the world.